Ricketts 'happy' with Hendry and thinks Quade's doing 'great job'

Whether fans like it or not, Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts does not plan on getting rid of general manager Jim Hendry or manager Mike Quade this season.

Ricketts said as much during a lengthy interview session with reporters outside the press box restrooms before Wednesday night's rain-delayed game against the Brewers at Wrigley Field.

Asked if the two were "safe" this season, Ricketts replied: "I have 100 percent confidence in Jim. He's working very hard to do everything he can to get this season back to where we want it to be.

"And I think Mike has done a great job. You know Mike has those guys playing hard. You know they're not giving up. You know there's good spirit in the clubhouse. Yeah, those guys are fine."

When asked later if he would re-visit Hendry's status after the season, Ricketts repeated he had complete confidence in Hendry.

"We're just going forward right now and we'll see what the offseason looks like then," he said. "I'm pretty happy, I'm comfortable with Jim and I'm confident in his ability to keep us looking forward."

There never have been any indications Hendry or Quade, who are signed through 2012, were on the hot seat. But with the Cubs floundering in the first half with a 27-39 record and the worst pitching and defense in the National League, both Hendry and Quade have taken their lumps on talk radio and on the Internet.

Some have argued the Cubs need to bring in a seasoned baseball executive to replace President Crane Kenney at the top of the front office and oversee Hendry, who has been criticized for the free agent signings of Alfonso Soriano, Milton Bradley and Kosuke Fukudome.

Ricketts said that's not his philosophy.

"I've never bought into the (idea) that I should have a baseball guy to watch my baseball guy and his baseball guys," he said. "Then what do you get — a baseball guy to watch the baseball guy who's watching your baseball guys?

"I trust Jim to do the best he can to get the best team on the field. I trust Mike to manage those guys effectively and give us the amount of wins that he can. And so, I really haven't thought about an extra baseball guy, and I'm not regretting having an extra baseball guy at all."

As for the comments Carlos Zambrano made that the Cubs were an "embarrassment" and played like a "Triple-A" team, Ricketts apparently agreed with the assessment.

"With respect to Carlos' comment on the embarrassment, I saw it, and frankly, there were a couple of things in there I didn't like," he said. "Calling out an individual teammate (Carlos Marmol) is probably not the way to handle such things. But to be honest, I didn't think it was that bad."

Despite all the problems he has faced the last two years, Ricketts insisted he has no regrets about his family buying the Cubs and he still was having fun.

"Obviously it's more fun if you have a better record," he said. "There's no question about that. But this is still a dream job."